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Get tips for safer shopping or buy directly from Microsoft.

Buying online can be quick, convenient and a great value; however, it doesn’t always give you the same opportunity
to see exactly what you’re getting as walking into a regular store. The general rule to remember is that
if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. But people who sell counterfeit
software often advertise it at just below the normal retail price so you think you're simply getting a good deal.
So price is important, but it's not the only thing you need to think about.

Tips for safer shopping – in person or online

First and foremost, make sure you’re buying from a reseller you trust. Ask the person or business specific questions
about key features of the item you’re interested in buying:

Does the product come in its original packaging?

Is there a
hologram on the DVD? If not, the DVD may be a PC manufacturer branded
reinstallation or recovery disc,
which is one that typically comes with PCs with software preinstalled so that you can
reinstall or recover the software if it stops working properly. Recovery disks are not
licensed to be sold separately from the PC they were shipped with; if you try to install
software from a recovery disk on a PC other than the one it was originally shipped on,
you may not be able to activate and/or use it. (Check the licensing terms to determine what the license allows).

Comparison shopping sites are also a great way to know how much something should cost at established retailers.

Make sure to determine whether the software you’re buying is intended for home use or for business use. Some business
software comes with a volume licensing key, which is licensed to a specific business for use by their employees
in the workplace. If a key is stolen and sold to others, it may be blocked from use later on by Microsoft.
Learn more about licensing.

When buying online, use a secure payment method. Don’t pay with cash or with instant money transfers. Keep printed
records of your order page, e-mails, receipts, and invoices for your software purchases. You may need them later
to return the software if you suspect that it’s counterfeit, or to
file a counterfeit software report with Microsoft .
Visit the sellers Contact Us or About Us web page. If there are no contact details, this is often an indicator
that counterfeiters may be hiding their location and not disclosing their corporate identity.

Note: When buying Microsoft software as a digital download, we recommend that you
avoid auction sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites. At the moment there are a limited number
of sites where you can legally purchase digital downloads of Microsoft software. One example is the online
Microsoft Store, where you
can buy a wide variety of genuine software and hardware directly from Microsoft (in select markets). Additionally,
you can purchase a digital download of Windows at
www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-10.

With the exception of Product Key Cards (PKC’s) distributed with COA’s, Microsoft does not distribute products keys
as standalone products. If you see a listing on an auction site, online classified ad, or other online page advertising
product keys for sale, it’s a good indication that the keys are likely stolen or counterfeit. If you were to
purchase and use a stolen or counterfeit product key to activate Windows installed on your PC, the key may not
work for activation, may already be in use on another PC, or it might be blocked from use later by Microsoft
when the key is reported stolen. The best way to get everything you expect up front is to buy
genuine Microsoft software preinstalled on a new PC or
genuine Microsoft software from an authorized reseller.